Quality of Websites about Long-Acting Reversible Contraception (Preprint)
BACKGROUND Long-acting reversible contraception are recommended for those who wish to prevent unintended pregnancies. Use of the Web for information about contraception is widespread, but there is a risk that patients come in contact with sources of low quality. OBJECTIVE The overarching aim was to investigate the quality of websites about long-acting reversible contraception. METHODS Swedish patient-oriented websites were identified through searches in Google (n=46 included websites). Reliability and information about treatment choices was assessed by two assessors with the DISCERN instrument, transparency was analyzed with the Journal of the Medical Association benchmarks, completeness was assessed with content analysis, and readability was analyzed with Readability Index. RESULTS The mean DISCERN was 44.1 (SD 7.7) for total score, 19.7 (SD 3.7) for reliability, 22.1 (SD 4.1) for information about treatment choices, and 2.3 (SD 1.1) for overall quality. A majority of the included websites had low quality concerning if it included information when the information was produced (87%), if it was clear which sources that were used to compile the publication (78%), and if it provided additional sources of support and information (66%). Less than half of the websites adhered to any of the JAMA benchmarks. We identified 23 categories of comprehensiveness. The most frequent was treatment mechanism, which was covered by 39 (85%) websites. The least frequent was when treatment may be initiated following an abortion, which was covered by 3 (7%) websites. Mean Readability Index was 42.5 (SD 6.3, Range 29-55) indicating moderate or difficult readability levels. CONCLUSIONS The quality of patient-oriented websites about long-acting reversible contraception is poor. There is an undeniable need to support and guide laypersons that intend to use web-based sources about contraceptive alternatives, so that they may reach informed decisions based on sufficient knowledge.